Bell County officials presented the city of Killeen with a check Tuesday to continue projects that improve child pedestrian safety in the city.

County Judge Jon Burrows and Tax Assessor Sharon Long presented the council with a check for $151,415 from an annual fee collected by the county.

Burrows said a $1.50 per vehicle child safety registration fee is collected annually from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

The fee has been collected since 2001 when the Legislature passed a statute allowing the safety fee.

“We collect that on behalf of all the entities in Bell County,” Burrows said. “At the end of the collection year, we bring (the cities) a check.”

Funds the cities receive are based on their population.

Hilary Shine, spokeswoman for the city, said the funds are used to improve child pedestrian safety in the city.

“This includes primarily sidewalks and school zone marking, signage and signals,” she said. “A group called the School Safety Committee partners with the city and Killeen ISD in developing plans for safety improvements.”

Some of the projects completed using the funds are sidewalks on Stan Schlueter Loop from Velma Drive to Trimmier Road, and sidewalks on Trimmier from Stan Schlueter Loop to Elms Road.

With the funding received Tuesday, Shine said, the committee plans to add a sidewalk around Ellison High School. The project is slated to start sometime next year.

“(The fee) is a great way for us to collect off of those vehicles to start some good project and keep some good project working for the youth in our community,” County Commissioner John Fisher said.